The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-12
Technical Education.

While the State has been preparing to
establish school Of technology, one, under
private control, in quiet little town in Mid
die Georgia, has successfully demonstrated
its usefulness. This is the school of tech
nology connected with Emory College at
Oxford.
In 1884 friends Of Emory, South and
North. who were interested in industrial
education, provided small fund for the
purpose of making an experiment. The
school was opened at the beginning>of that
years college term, and at once met with
favor. Subsequently the fund was increased,
and buildings with all necessary appliances
were erected. Rev. DR.. l. S. Hopkins, the
accomplished President of Emory, has taken
great interest in the school, and to him is
due the credit of its success. He says of the
school that its object is to supply the State
and the South generally, with class of
citizens who shall be skilled as workmen
and at the same time be educated men.
Further, an attempt is made to prove that
mechanical science has in itself an educative
power OF the highest possible value, in the
development of the perceptive faculties, the
taste, the judgment and the reason Work
Is done in the shops with the idea
that it goes into the market
with other productions of skilled labor, and
must stand or fall by its excellence and
merit. Contracts are taken for all kinds of
wood and irpu work, thus giving the stimu-
lus of variety and gradations of work to
the pupil Brackets and mantels, from the
cir balf 30, @lo
pulpits, pew-ends, and all kinds of orna-
mental and useful woodwork are made
Lathes and engines are manufactured, and
those in use are said to be equal to the best
made in the North or West Three years
are required to complete the course of
study. The number of pupils now in the
school is thirty-four The number would
doubtless be greater, but'there is not room
for more in the workshops
The testimony of Dr. Hopkins regarding
the class of young men who enter the school
is interesting. They are all from educated
and refined families. Some are the sons of
men who possess means. All appear to be
glad of the opportunity of fitting themselves
for some pursuit other than law, or medi-
cine, or merchandising. They pursue their
studies with enthusiasm and when they
graduate they are competent to take the
positions of master wor1men.
As DIR. Hopkins says, it is the reproach of
the South, that with all its material re-
sources, so few natives of the South have
been found who, by education or training,
are prepared to develop those interests
which involve a knowledge of the mechani-
cal arts. Now that the school at Emory
has proved its usefulness, and has shown
that many of the most respectable
young men in the South are anx-
ious to acquire a technical education,
it is altogether probable that the
reproach mentioned by Dr. Hopkins will
not long remain. The opening of the State
school of technology will give great impetus
to technical education, so that within the
next ten years there should be no need in
Georgia, at least, for the owners of manu-
featuring and mining enterprises to send to
the North for trained men to manage them.